In early June 2015 I did my usual self breast exam and found a suspicious tiny hard young pea sized lump in my upper right breast. By my arm pit.
June 1, 2015 we have new health insurance thanks to my husbands new Job. Ahhh
I booked an OB/GYN appointment and could get in June 23 at 11 am. I also decided to just show up at the breast care center at St. Luke's to do my mammogram that morning. I got there and insisted they call my OB/GYN to get an approve ultrasound because I have dense fibrocystic breast tissue discovered in previous mammograms. They did get the approval and proceeded to send me for my mammo. I then got called back in for the ultrasound because they did find something on the mammo that was suspicious. I went in for the ultrasound and the tech found the lump after I pointed it out. Now after having been through 10 years of infertility and miscarriages, I could basically read my own ultrasounds on the screen. I knew what she was taking pictures of was not USUAL dense breast tissue. It was a mass. She measured it on screen, snapped about 6 or 7 shots and sent me on my way to get dressed. I was late for my OB/GYN by that time (not really late beause my doc is always late too). I went in to see the OB/GYN after. He did my physical breast exam and also felt the lump. He did say I could be the one amoung many that this turns out to be NOTHING just like the previous dense tissue I have had that ultrasound has determined to be just that, dense tissue. He said he would wait for the results from radiology and call me back soon, very soon!
He sent me on my way. I got a call from radiology later that day stating I needed to come in for a biopsy. June 25th. I went in that Thursday thinking the worst news. Yes, I had convinced myself that I was dealing with breast cancer. I got set up by the wonderful nurse (who I later found out she had gone through infertility and tried to adopt from China... small world). The ultrasound(US) tech came in to begin prepping me for the doctor to come in and be biopsied. She started the US and said "wait a minute, please point to the lump you found!" Oh boy.. I could see the screen. She had found two other lumps too! Sure enough, she found three. She left the room to get the doctor. They were not ready for my biopsy yet, but the doctor scanned me and found the three lumps. She scanned me for about 20 minutes taking measurements and coordinates. She left with the tech and compared that with my mammo and first US. Not good news, but hey, those other lumps could be nothing. So the biopsy started. Local numbing. OUCH.. that hurt. She had to stop to add more so I did not feel it. I watched on the US screen and they did three core needle biopsies on the one lump I found. I turned to the doctor and said I know you found three lumps, what about the other two? She said they won't biopsy them since I only came in for the one lump. Some of you know that when US techs do your scans, they are not suppose to talk to you about what they find on the screen. Sorry, but I know better! ha. Pathology will be done and it will take 24 -48 hours for them to get results. Of course this was a Thursday so you guessed it, I did not get a call until Monday. Ugh. I hated waiting, but I made the best of my time that weekend. The biopsy site was sore, but tolerable.
Then I got a call that Monday around 9:30 am. The nurse was telling me that in fact this was cancer and that it was two types of cancer. I wrote it all down. She gave me instructions to come meet with the breast care doctor (surgeon, Dr. Limpert), not the same doc that did the biopsy. I set up the appointment for that Thursday.
Jeff and I went in with open minds, but knowing this was cancer we knew I faced several possible scenarios of surgery and or chemo and or radiation.
I have a blood clotting disorder that will play a big roll in the type of chemo I receive.
So that next appointment came up, but they had me do an MRI before I went in. I showed up at the Deloge Medical building on 141 and had my MRI. I swear to you that a man designed that damn machine. It hurt to lay on it so bad. Hard plastic. Boobies in cut out holes while laying on my belly and chest. My rib were bruising just moments after laying down. LOL Grrrr. After about 40 minutes (or it felt like eternity) and many bong bong bing bing booms in my head, I was done.
We then proceeded to go eat lunch at the Mongolian BBQ on Olive. YUM. Why not . I enjoyed a great lunch with my hubby(who has been my rock through this all).
Dr. Limpert was next. We met with her. She was late coming in only to explain she had just spent about 20 minutes reviewing my MRI results. She said there were some interesting findings.
I not only had one lump I found and two more they found in the biopsy US, but yet another 5 lumps in my right breast. MRI did not show possible lymph nod involvement. Shuuuu. The left side looked ok too. Ahhhh. A relief. She went on to explain the two types of cancer I have ... DCIS and IDC. It started in the ducts of my breast (DCIS) and has spread outside the ducts into the breast tissue (IDC). Invasive. Yikes.
She looked at me and said "You just saved your own life". I was taken aback by that comment so I asked her to repeat what she said. She did and even said it for a third time for Jeff to hear. She said was very very lucky because at Stage 1A, very very few women can feel and find their own breast lumps. Good, see, the self boobie checks I do paid off! Grade of the tumor was III, which is very aggressive. So now she stopped and asked me about my family history. I have a very extensive paternal side of the family that includes Melanoma (my dad), Uncle currently battling breast cancer, several great Aunts that also had BC and or uterine cancer and my grandmother, who had colon cancer. She drew out a family chart showing my family history and then started talking about the possible risks of being positive for BRCA. Well, there is proven BRCA 2 with my decease Aunt Joan. Ugh. Double whammy.
In all recommendations I would need chemotherapy. I started to cry! Ugh. that word hit me hard. I saw what my dad had to go through and man it was rough! Then she said given my family history of cancer and the types of cancer and proven BRCA 2, I am most likely going to need not just my right breast removed, but a double mastectomy to avoid the possibility of cancer coming back in the left side too. I was floored.
more later. Sorry to ramble.
